1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control method and an apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for power saving of a display unit and an apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an array scheme of a pixel is classified into a real stripe scheme and a pentile scheme. According to the real strip scheme, one pixel is configured by three sub-pixels—Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B) sub-pixels. The pixels including sub-pixels are arrayed on a display unit.
In contrast to the real stripe scheme, the pentile scheme includes an RGBG scheme in which red, green, and blue sub-pixels are arrayed in a ratio of 1:1:2 (RGBG) using a characteristic that a human less recognizes the blue and more recognizes the green. Although resolution in the pentile RGB scheme is reduced relative to a real stripe scheme, the yield can be improved, a manufacturing cost can be reduced, and high resolution can be implemented with a small screen.
According to the related art, some schemes may include a White (W) sub-pixel.
The pentile RGBW scheme uses a physical characteristic requiring a lighting unit (e.g., back light unit) in a case of a liquid crystal display (LCD). For example, the pentile RGBW scheme increases an area of a sub-pixel 1.5 times instead of reducing a density of the sub-pixel relative to the real stripe scheme. In addition, the pentile RGBW scheme uses four types of sub-pixels including red, green, blue and white. In detail, the white pixel is a transparent sub-pixel. In an LCD using an RGB scheme, when a lighting unit is turned-on in a state that sub-pixels of an RGB have maximum transmittance, light of the lighting unit transmits the LCD so that white is displayed. In an LDC using the pentile RGBW scheme, a white pixel located between red, green, and blue sub-pixels transmits light of the lighting unit according to the transmittance. Accordingly, the pentile RGBW scheme may display an image of high luminance with the same power relative to the real stripe scheme.
A main advantage associated with using the pentile RGBW scheme is power saving of the lighting unit. One of important issues in an electronic device, particularly, a portable terminal is power saving. Accordingly, in recent years, the pentile RGBW scheme has a tendency to be used in portable terminals. Because sub-pixels of RGB in the pentile RGBW scheme are insufficient relative to the real stripe scheme, the pentile RGBW scheme has a side effect in that image quality (e.g., color tone) is lowered. Accordingly, in the pentile RGB scheme according to the related art, a register value (e.g., weight endowed by sub-pixels) for controlling the display unit with respect to improvement in image quality is preferentially set relative to a register value with respect to power saving. However, in an environment that does not require an improvement in the image quality (e.g., bright peripheral environment or moving image viewing), the main advantage associated with using the pentile RGBW scheme cannot be properly obtained.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for saving power consumption of a lighting unit while maintaining recognized image quality by dynamically controlling a display unit in response to at least one of variation in peripheral illumination (e.g., motion from indoor to outdoor) and variation in an image attribute.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.